Currents
by littlemaiko
Summary: An old Harmonian melody brings Klaus and Annalee together. Completed.


DISCLAIMER: Suikoden 2 and all its elements are properties of Konami. Title and lyrics of "Currents" were taken from a song included in the game. Fanfiction belongs to littlemaiko. Stealing is prohibited.  
  
NOTE: Klaus and Annalee have nothing in common in the game, but I thought that they made a good pair.  
  
  
  
------------------------------  
  
Currents  
by littlemaiko  
  
  
  
  
  
Dawn broke early in summer. Klaus realized that red light had graced the horizon and put down the book he had been reading. He'd stayed up through the night once again, much against his father's concern. Shaking his brunet head in half-hearted self-exasperation, he rose from the comfortable chair set in the library lounge and stretched his back. Hearty cracking sounds almost bothered him with their echoing through the wooden building.  
  
// Well, since father did not come looking for me, he must have had a good drink last night. //  
  
Klaus reminded himself to warn Kiba not to consume so much alcohol. Although the young strategist himself enjoyed drinking with tolerance almost surpassing his father's, he was more mindful of his health. He picked up the books he had been enjoying to return them to their respective shelves, but upon reading one of the titles of unread texts, he decided to keep that one with himself.  
  
"'Currents'. It has been a while since I read that poem..."  
  
Having tidied up the space he had been occupying, Klaus went to the deserted front desk of the library and filled a form to borrow the thin anthology of poetry that had drawn his attention.  
  
"'The river it goes ever on, can heart keep pace rushing swollen 'til dawn?'" The youth recited the poem, having it memorized by heart. His mother had read it aloud to him many times in place of a lullaby, and even his father knew it well enough to quote from it. Although the ancient lines were not Highlander by origin and clearly translated from unknown tongue, the Windamiers had some strange connection to the poem.  
  
// I wonder how mother is faring in L'Renouille? The last news I heard was that she escaped punishment for treason. ...I miss her. //  
  
Klaus thought of his mother, the beautiful Eliza Windamier descended from Harmonian aristocrats. She had been pardoned of the offense of her husband and son, much to his relief. However, the chances were that he'd never see her again. It pained him, as it did his father, but they had agreed many years ago that if things came to be so, they'd endure. Such was the way of a general's family.  
  
"'The mournful wind blows ever on, Can I keep flooded love for you 'til dawn?'"  
  
The poem fit well to the orange light of the day-breaking sun. Klaus whispered the lines softly as he left the building for the inner courtyard. The area was deserted as he had expected it to be. Camelot Castle was yet in slumber.  
  
"'The heart has its secret currents, Deep and without guide, To find out where they will lead, I take the plunge eyes wide...'"  
  
Sweet, perfected singing voice reached Klaus' ears and he swept his amethyst gaze to search for the singer. He found a familiar girl by the stone-tiled clearing up ahead; he knew her very little, but he remembered that her name was Annalee. The girl, a few years younger than Klaus, had the voice of a melancholic nightingale.  
  
Careful not to disturb the melodious a capella, Klaus approached Annalee from front. Her doe-like brown eyes rested upon him and widened; when her singing began to falter, he shook his head with a smile, gesturing for her to continue. Looking shy, the girl wove intricate notes of soprano, her apparent lack of self-confidence outshone by the mastery with which she completed the piece.  
  
"Good morning, Miss Annalee." Klaus gave a customary bow of greeting, his aristocratic manner dying hard.  
  
"G-Good morning, Sir Klaus." Shoulder-length tresses fell across Annalee's cheek as she gave an awkward curtsy. Up close, Klaus noted that she had very lovely features; if not for the constant half-tormented expression flickering beneath the sweet smile, she may have drawn much more attention of men.  
  
"It is quite early for a lady to be out. Do you practice every morning here?"  
  
"...Yes. Did you come from the library?" Annalee asked, her gaze fixed to her feet.  
  
"Yes, but how did you... oh, the book." Holding up the small book in his right hand, Klaus mused that perhaps the singer girl was not as withdrawn as she seemed to be. She certainly had good observation skills. "I did not mean to intrude your practice, but you were singing the poem I knew well."  
  
"'Currents'?"  
  
"I did not know there was music to accompany the words." Klaus commented on the beautiful melody, how it had given the imagery of a cool stream sparkling with silver reflection. He was not much of a poet himself, but his mother had once described the words of "Currents" as such and he loved to quote what she had said. He could see the shining water when he thought of his mother's soft voice producing the lines of the poem. Upon hearing Annalee's singing, he had seen the same vision.  
  
"The music got lost when the poetry was passed on to Highland, I think. In Harmonia, the Musical Academy has preserved the ancient notes." Annalee almost glowed from increased enthusiasm at the topic of music, but the radiance soon diminished when she caught herself and looked down again.  
  
"I know the words by heart, but it would be lovely to learn the music to go with them. If it is not a problem, may I ask for your tutelage?" Stifling a smile toward the extreme shyness of the girl singer, Klaus checked his pocket watch and was disappointed that he'd have to cut this conversation short. He needed time to get ready for the day, and the breakfast with his father was approaching fast.  
  
"I-It is no problem, sir. I... I'm not that good... but..."  
  
"Your voice marvels all, Miss Annalee. And please, just call me Klaus."  
  
Annalee flushed red at the compliment, although she must have received the likes many times in the past. She shook her head in a genuine denial, but did not object verbally.  
  
"I frequent the library and often stay there until dawn. Perhaps when we meet here again next time..." Klaus trailed off deliberately and smiled, his calm charm rather striking in the girl's eyes. He had inherited the looks from his mother, which allowed him the advantage of appearing non-threatening despite his rank as a strategist. With another graceful bow, he passed by Annalee and disappeared into the stone castle.  
  
  
  
**********  
  
  
  
"'Now I stretch out my wings again, And take back what I lost then,'" Klaus sang along with Annalee, his mellow tenor tentative yet more than decent in keeping up with the notes. He had memorized the melody on their first lesson from the last morning and now, he worked to perfect it. Just out of curious interest, he had asked the girl singer to instruct him the different harmony notes. Their voices mixed more pleasantly that way.  
  
"'The heart has its secret currents, Deep and without guide, To find out where they will lead, I take the plunge eyes wide...'"  
  
With her eyes closed and dainty hands held before her slender bosom, Annalee resembled a musical muse. She did not look unconfident when she was immersed in singing. Klaus admired her youthful beauty the best when her pink lips let out the flow of heavenly tunes.  
  
"Klaus, 'I take the plunge' for male harmony dips half a note lower." Annalee spoke without opening her eyes, concentrating on the sound more than the vision.  
  
"Oh, all right. Is this better?" The brunet youth repeated the last lines by himself.  
  
"Yes, just perfect," smiled Annalee. She slitted the brown eyes open, the usual shy girl replacing the goddess of music. "You're amazing, Klaus. You have the whole song down in just two days."  
  
Klaus modestly shook his head, not telling the other that he had been rehearsing the same melody in his mind for the past forty-eight hours. He was a diligent worker when it came to things that interested him. His attention span often extended into scheduled sleeping hours, thus causing the lack of sleep that worried Kiba so much.  
  
"No, you really are talented. You can make living as a singer."  
  
"I will stick with being a strategist." Klaus chuckled, then ceased the mirthful laughter when Annalee's expression darkened. "Miss Annalee?"  
  
"...I've been forgetting. You are a man of war." The girl sighed, shifting her gaze to the dawn breaking to the east. She did not speak for a while, but when she opened her mouth again, her voice was somber. "I'm sorry, Klaus. I'm never comfortable around soldiers. I don't have anything personal against you. I like the people of this castle, but even then..."  
  
Noticing tiny shudders of Annalee's lithe frame, Klaus understood that there was more than the girl was telling. He could guess what, too, although he wished it were otherwise. Annalee's travel-centered life and misfortune of separation from her companions amidst the war, along with her fear of soldiers and constant look of low self-worth only added up into one likely hypothesis.  
  
// She was assaulted by soldiers. //  
  
Klaus carefully hid his revelation, not wanting to hurt Annalee. "No, I am not offended at all. Miss Annalee, will you sing 'Currents' with me again? If I do not practice, I shall forget the beautiful melody."  
  
"...Thank you." Annalee wiped at her eyes where tears were glistening. Her voice shook during the first few notes, but it steadied into the stream of silver melody Klaus loved so much. He joined in, his ears taking in the sweet mixture of their voices greedily.  
  
  
  
**********  
  
  
  
A few months passed as Klaus and Annalee practiced daily on "Currents." Although he had perfected the song a long time ago, the young strategist continued to visit the girl in the morning. As of late, however, they'd spent more time talking over the break of dawn than singing. The short moment, only a few minutes long while the sun appeared over the horizon across Lake Dunan, filled Klaus' heart with such peace that he almost lost his words.  
  
// I need the peace of mind that she can provide me. //  
  
Klaus hurried to meet with Annalee, not coming from the usual library but out of the castle. He had passed the night conversing with Kiba, who was to leave for a battle the next day. The battle without a prospect of victory.  
  
"Klaus. Good morning." Annalee's sweet voice eased the throb of emotional torment inside the youth. She was sitting on the grassy mown by the shore of the vast lake, waiting for the sunrise. They had designated this little spot for their meeting.  
  
"Good morning, Annalee." Klaus addressed the other, somehow succeeding in keeping his calm grace. He had not cried yet since hearing the news of his father's upcoming death-mission, but his own inability to give in to grief pained him more. As a strategist, he had grown too used to accepting anything that was inevitable. If Shu could not come up with a better plan, then there was no other way for the JSCA to win the battle. With such thoughts, he took seat next to the girl.  
  
"...I was thinking..."  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
As unsure of herself as always, Annalee held her hands before her and fiddled her fingers. "You said that your father likes the poem, too. Maybe we could sing for him sometime?"  
  
The suggestion reeled Klaus' senses. Contrary to the unrest in his mind, however, he smiled and responded with, "I'm sure he will be delighted. Can we... sing for him tonight? He will be drinking wine in the private chamber."  
  
Annalee blinked, tilting her head and letting pretty hair spill over one lithe shoulder. "Of course, but why so soon? I was planning to give fine-tuning to our harmony."  
  
"He is leaving for a battle tomorrow morning. He may not return for a while." Klaus diverted his amethyst gaze from Annalee for the first time in their acquaintance. He felt guilty for lying to her, but he knew that the truth would only pain her. She was too fragile for the logics of war; she would cry for his sake and be the somber songbird without songs that he'd taken a glimpse of when she had spoken a little about her past.  
  
"I see. I will visit your room at nine o'clock tonight, then. Will that be all right?" Annalee did not press for details. She only smiled like a musical muse and began to weave foreign melodies in tiny hums, perhaps intentionally cutting off the conversation. She was always observant about Klaus' behavior.  
  
"'...Goin' with the silver flow, Of river wide with current deep and slow...'" In a hushed murmur, Klaus sang "Currents" to himself. He did not expect Annalee to hear and join in, but she did; her hand moved unseen over the green grass, finding his and holding gently. Her fingers were trembling.  
  
// She can feel it. ...The terror of war must have made her keen about such things. //  
  
Klaus did not break off the singing or the tentative hold of their hands. Rather, he entangled his slender fingers with hers, clasping their palms together. Closing his amethyst eyes, he sang in clear tenor to compliment Annalee's soprano. Her voice caressed at his ears and reached his heart with soft and silken texture identical to that of her hair and skin.  
  
"'The heart has its secret currents, Deep and without guide, To find out where they will lead, I take the plunge eyes wide...'"  
  
Until Annalee's free hand reached to wipe at his cheek, Klaus did not notice himself crying. He leaned into her warm palm, not sobbing even as more clear droplets rolled down his pale face. Even though the song had come to end, the melody of "Currents" continued undisturbed, reflecting sorrow and all other emotions filling the air.  
  
"...Annalee..."  
  
"Shh... I will sing for you, Klaus."  
  
The lovely muse drew her arms about Klaus and strung the melancholic tune of silver stream, melodious currents comforting him. He listened in total silence, immersed in the cradle of her slender arms. Just as the last note was delivered with an angel's radiance, he completed the blissful song with his lips seeking hers.  
  
  
  
------------------------------  
  
  
  
Goin' with the silver flow  
Of river wide with current deep and slow  
  
I rest my wings made to soar  
But can I fly anymore?  
  
The river it goes ever on  
Can heart keep pace rushing swollen 'til dawn?  
  
Now I shake off weariness  
And go to meet what I can't guess  
  
The heart has its secret currents  
Deep and without guide  
To find out where they will lead  
I take the plunge eyes wide  
  
People move from home to street  
No one blinks as day yields to day, life is fleet  
  
Where are you from?  
Where are you going, Water Traveler?  
  
The mournful wind blows ever on  
Can I keep flooded love for you 'til dawn?  
  
Now I stretch out my wings again  
And take back what I lost then  
  
The heart has its secret currents  
Deep and without guide  
To find out where they will lead  
I take the plunge eyes wide 


End file.
